Deluge of weekend rain good for water levels, bad for SWFL burrowing owls

With all the weekend rain, canal levels in Cape Coral are on the rise, but it’s not such good news for our feathered friends.

Many burrowing owl homes in the area got washed out in the deluge of rain.

For Brian Sheehan, the rainfall was the relief he’s been waiting months for after getting his boat stuck in the mud from low water levels.

“I couldn’t believe when I came out and saw that the boat was actually in water,” he said.

“At one point we measured it, it was a little more than 14 feet out. So I could have literally walked around this boat sitting out there,” he added.

But that all changed in a matter of hours, as several inches of rain fell.

“From sitting on the ground, to floating, we were there in a little over a day,” Sheehan said.

But the rain also left some other members of the SWFL community out of a home.

“If there are eggs in there, the eggs will be lost. If the babies can’t fly and if the mom can’t get them out to a safe and high ground, they’ll be lost,” said Pascha Donaldson, vice president of Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.

Experts say some of Cape Coral’s estimated 3,000 burrowing owl nests became flooded this past week. It’s a problem they say could persist throughout the rainy season. But there is a way SWFL can help them out.

“If you see a stranded bird or if you think the parents got injured, or whatever, call CROW or call Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife,” Donaldson said.

If you see owls that you think may be at risk, you’re asked to call the following numbers:

For the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), call (239) 472-3644.

For Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, call (239) 980-2593.